Toy construction



March 26, 1963 l l/l lrITr/ L. ALBlANl TOY CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 3l, 1959 1N V EN TOR.

iinited States Patent F 3,082,569 TOY CGNSTRUCTION Lido Albiani, Cicero, 11i., assignor to Korris Products, inc., a corporation of Iliinois Fiied Dec. 31, 1959, Ser. No. $63,183 3 Claims. (Cl. 46-17) This invention relates to a toy and more particularly to a toy adapted to resemble in miniature a utilitarian object, the toy having interengaging construction which permits component parts to be more authentically manufactured and rapidly assembled.

Manufacturers of toys which are adapted to resemble in miniature a utilitarian object, such as an automobile, iind it diiicult to achieve a high level of authenticity if the component parts are not made separately. Separate construction, such as individual molding of parts, promotes physical detailing and color arrangement. However, present-day fasteners, such as screws or adhesives, which can be used to secure the individual parts together in an assembled unit are excessively time-consuming in application and thus make such separate fabrication prohibitive.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved toy construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy adapted to resemble in miniature a utilitarian object having securing means enabling component parts to be manufactured separately thereby achieving greater authenticity.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a toy construction having an economical interengaging means fabricated as an integral extension of certain parts capable of holding the assembled unit together when pressed into engagement.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a toy construction having means which permit quick assembly of component parts.

These and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed description and drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled toy construction embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded View of -the toy construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken substantially as illustrated along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the rear end of the toy construction.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disciosed in the drawings, a toy car construction, generally designated 10, is assembled from separately fabricated members to resemble in miniature a popular automobile design. The component members are molded and finished separately to enhance physical detailing and distinct color arrangement unattainable by unitary molding.

More specifically, toy comprises major members 11 and 12 and minor members 13 and 14 fabricated to assemble into a unit as shown in FIG. 1. All members are defined as separately fabricated parts or composite of separately fabricated parts which are to be assembled; the members do not necessarily correspond to separated parts of the actual object imitated. As shown in FIG. 2, major member 11 resembles the outer covering 15 of a car having a separately fabricated windshield 16; major member 12 resembles the chassis and seats 17 of the car having individually fabricated steering wheel 18, axles 19, and wheels 20; minor member 14 resembles a rear bumper 21 and adjacent tail-lights 22; and minor member 13 resembles a front bumper 23 and adjacent head-lights 24.

Major member 12. nests within major member 11 (FIG. 3) having flat extensions 25 extending outwardly from the chassis of member 12 to be held in vertical spaced relation by posts 26 integrally formed to the inside of major g Patented Mar. 26, 1963 ice member 11. Minor members 13 and 14 are attached to the nested unit of major members by interengaging means comprising integral protuberances 2.7 similar to bayonets which extend through openings 28 in major member 11. The protuberances press-.fit into position (FiGS. 3 and 4) to frictionally lock against sides of the openings and extend therebeyond to abut iiat extensions 2S and co-operate with said posts 26 to lock the major member 12 within major member 11 thereby to prevent disassembly of the unit.

Fabrication and assemblage of the toy comprises the following tive steps:

First individual molds are prepared for each member or components thereof (as shown in FIG. 3, steering wheel 18, wheels 2i) and windshield 16 are separately molded components). Separate molding promotes a high degree of physical detailing which would be hampered by unitary molding and enables different colored molding materials to be used for different members giving a much more authentic color arrangement. Next, the members are molded using any suitable molding material preferably having a durable unbreakable quality and pleasing appearance. Applicant has found that polyethylene plastic meets the above needs and enables the interengaging means to maintain a very efficient frictional lock by plastic to plastic contact. Next, the members are finished separately and readied for assembling. The major members are fitted together, first to form the basic unit. The minor members are then placed into position on the unit having the protuberances 27 pressed into openings 28 of the major members and frictionally locked against the sides thereof. The protuberances 27 protrude beyond the openings to engage a major member in a manner to prevent disassembly.

Greater speeds in assemblage, greater strides in economy, and greater ease of authentic manufacturing are made possible by the above toy construction.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that such description is for illustrative purposes only. The invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A toy automobile having members individually molded to promote authentic appearance, comprising: an Outer body major member having a windshield and adapted to receive other members to form a complete automobile unit, said body member having integrally molded stops to hold other members in assembled spaced relation and openings in its front and rear; a chassis major member having a steering wheel, front and rear axles, and wheels, said chassis member being insertable substantially within said body member and having .iiat extensions extending from the front and rear of said chassis to terminate adjacent and above the openings in the front and rear of said body member respectively; a rear bumper minor member having tail-lights; and a front bumper minor member having head-lights, said rear bumper and front bumper members each having integral protuberances adapted to fit into said respective openings when placed into position on the outer body member and frictionally lock against the sides thereof, said protuberances extending beyond the openings to engage the underside of said Hat extensions thereby preventing inadvertent disassembly of the automobile.

2. A toy construction comprising: a first member dening a miniaturized replica of one portion of a selected stucture other than a toy structure, said member having a pair of depending spaced portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, one of said portions being provided with a iirst opening therethrough and the other of said portions being provided wtih a second opening therethrough axially substantially parallel to said i'irst opening; a second member defining a miniaturized replica of a second portion of the selected structure, said second member extending substantially between said spaced portions and disposed generally parallel to and intermediate the axes of said openings and said intermediate portion of the first member; a pair of spacers on at least one of said members positioning said second member with a first portion thereof closely adjacent said first opening of the first member and a second portion of the second member closely adjacent said second portion of said first member; a third member defining a miniaturized replica of a third portion of the selected structure, said third member having a first protuberance formed integrally therewith to project substantially perpendicularly therefrom, said protuberance extending through Said rst Opening; and a fourth member defining a minaturized replica of a fourth portion of the selected structure, said fourth member having a second protuberance extending through said second opening, said protuberances being formed integrally With said third and fourth members respectively and projecting substantially perpendicularly therefrom, said protuberances having frictional locking engagement with the portions of the first member defining said openings and 4 engaging respectively said first and second 'portions of the second member for cooperation with said spacers to retain said members associated.

3. The toy construction of claim 2 wherein said seieeted structure comprises an automobile, said first and second portions comprise oody portions thereof, and said third and fourth portions comprise front and rear portions thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 642.526 Kingsbury Jan. 30, .900 1,956,342 Brubaker Apr. 24, i934 2,587,142 Gray et al. Feb. 26, 1952 2,620,192 Housley Dec. 2, i952 2,861,388 Favaretto Nov. 25, i958 FOREIGN PATENTS 820,125 France July 26, i937 74,576 Norway Feb. 7, i949 

1. A TOY AUTOMOBILE HAVING MEMBERS INDIVIDUALLY MOLDED TO PROMOTE AUTHENTIC APPEARANCE, COMPRISING: AN OUTER BODY MAJOR MEMBER HAVING A WINDSHIELD AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE OTHER MEMBERS TO FORM A COMPLETE AUTOMOBILE UNIT, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING INTEGRALLY MOLDED STOPS TO HOLD OTHER MEMBERS IN ASSEMBLED SPACED RELATION AND OPENINGS IN ITS FRONT AND REAR; A CHASSIS MAJOR MEMBER HAVING A STEERING WHEEL, FRONT AND REAR AXLES, AND WHEELS, SAID CHASSIS MEMBER BEING INSERTABLE SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN SAID BODY MEMBER AND HAVING FLAT EXTENSIONS EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT AND REAR OF SAID CHASSIS TO TERMINATE ADJACENT AND ABOVE THE OPENINGS IN THE FRONT AND REAR OF SAID BODY MEMBER RESPECTIVELY; A REAR BUMPER MINOR MEMBER HAVING TAIL-LIGHTS; AND A FRONT BUMPER MINOR MEMBER HAVING HEAD-LIGHTS, SAID REAR BUMPER AND FRONT BUMPER MEMBERS EACH HAVING INTEGRAL PROTUBERANCES ADAPTED TO FIT INTO SAID RESPECTIVE OPENINGS WHEN PLACED INTO POSITION ON THE OUTER BODY MEMBER AND FRICTIONALLY LOCK AGAINST THE SIDES THEREOF, SAID PROTUBERANCES EXTENDING BEYOND THE OPENINGS TO ENGAGE THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FLAT EXTENSIONS THEREBY PREVENTING INADVERTENT DISASSEMBLY OF THE AUTOMOBILE. 